I work on a whale watch boat in Kona, Hawaii and this book has been extremely helpful in my work. It is an excellent handbook on these mammals, a great in-depth introduction book for beginners and a great concise reference book for veterans as well. Very well made and designed with some photos and excellent illustrations. Very easy to navigate through the info and select what you need to know and refer back to it.
The best first whale book you can get until you are ready to go to a much more detailed study of these mammals.

This book is breathtaking. I had no idea there were 80 or more species of Cetaceans! While I may never have the opportunity to see any of these wonderful animals alive except in captivity, this book is a wonderful addition to my nature reference library. It is fascinating to read, and even scientists have not seen all of these cetaceans alive (some have been named by skeletal remains), or if they have reported seeing them alive, have possible doubts about the exact species observed. I will read this book over and over just because it is so fascinating. Beautifully illustrated, including maps of the individual species ranges. It also has an exact format, page to page, with clear, concise identification keys. Population numbers are shown where known, threats, habits, diet and habitat are also in a keyed format for each species represented. A wonderful book for anyone nature lovers, and especially good for children because so much information is provided about dwindling populations due to various types of assaults made on either the animals or their habitats by people. Even children who may not be able to clearly understand all of the text will find the pictures and the text that they can understand to be very enjoyable and educational. It is a book that most anyone will reach for again and again through the years!